Sunderland

Manchester United

Buckley aiming for dream impact

Sunderland new boy Will Buckley is relishing the challenge of taking the next step in his football education under Gus Poyet.

The 24-year-old winger finally joined the Black Cats this month to end Poyet's seven-month chase for his former Brighton star and could make his home debut against Manchester United on Sunday.

Buckley made his Barclays Premier League bow as a substitute in Sunderland 2-2 draw at West Brom.

Poyet was unable to prise Buckley away from the Seagulls in January, where he had helped the midfielder make the transition from League Two to the Sky Bet Championship, but signed him for B£2.5million earlier this month.

And against United Buckley is confident that Poyet can help him fulfil his dreams.

He said: "Obviously, everyone knows what he did as a player but I have worked under him now for over two years and his passion just comes across to the players in a good way.

"He just gets the best out of me. Hopefully he improves players, that's one of his qualities, and hopefully I can carry on improving now I have joined here as well."

Buckley's rise has been impressive - since he was playing his football with Rochdale in League Two when Watford handed him a Championship chance in January 2010.

By his own admission, the progression was not straightforward, but he adapted to such an extent that within 18 months, Brighton were prepared to pay B£1million for him.

He said: "When I went from League Two to the Championship, for the first couple of months, I actually struggled, then I saw myself improving day to day. Hopefully that can be the same with the Premier League."

Buckley had 17 minutes as an emergency right-back at The Hawthorns to assess just how much he has to learn as he makes his latest step forward, but one difference between the Premier League and the Championship was immediately apparent.

He said: "They let you have the ball a little bit more comfortably, but when it gets to that final third, it's going to be more difficult to create goals and score goals, which everyone wants to do."

Buckley joins former Brighton team-mate Liam Bridcutt at the Stadium of Light with Poyet backing him to rise to the top-flight challenge.

The South American tended to play with a lone striker last season with the likes of Adam Johnson and Fabio Borini - the Italian remains tantalisingly out of the club's grasp as the close of the transfer window looms - providing support.

A similar role would hold no fears for Buckley, who admits his instinct is to attack.

He said: "Growing up, I was always a striker but when I first broke on to the professional scene, I started playing as a winger and that's probably my best position now.

"I can play up front, but as a winger is probably where Gus has bought me to play.

"With the three he plays up there, it's interchanging and you get to play all along the front three, so I am comfortable playing in any one of those positions."

Sunderland - who are without Emanuele Giaccherini (groin) - will be looking to inflict a second defeat in a week on United after Louis van Gaal lost his first game in charge to Swansea.

Van Gaal signed Marcos Rojo for B£16m from Sporting Lisbon in mid-week but the defender will not play at the Stadium of Light as he is yet to receive a work permit.

The boss insisted he felt like he had gone from the king of Manchester to the devil after defeat but United legend Dennis Irwin insisted he is not worried about the direction of the club.

He said: "We have to trust him because he is an experienced manager he has won things everywhere he has gone," the former defender said at the launch of Manchester United and Apollo Tyre's 'Go The Distance Pitch' at Old Trafford.

"It was a disappointing result and a poor performance but going forward, I think we might need a little bit of patience for the manager to get his ideas across

"He has been with us for a month. We had a lot of matches in the first two and a half three weeks of pre-season so he didn't really get much of a chance to get his ideas across.

"It's only now and within the next two or three months that his philosophy will eventually come through.

"Last year wasn't a good year for us, finishing seventh, particularly with the 23 years we had previously, but I think we will have a really good year."

Offside, Sunderland. Connor Wickham tries a through ball, but William Buckley is caught offside.

10'

John O'Shea (Sunderland) Free Kick at 10'

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Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

9'

Tom Cleverley (Manchester United) Free Kick at 9'

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Foul by William Buckley (Sunderland).

8'

Attempt missed. Tom Cleverley (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Antonio Valencia.

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Antonio Valencia (Manchester United) Assists Shot at 8'

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Patrick Van Aanholt (Sunderland) Throw In at 7'

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Attempt missed. Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Steven Fletcher.

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Steven Fletcher (Sunderland) Assists Shot at 4'

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Antonio Valencia (Manchester United) Throw In at 4'

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Chris Smalling (Manchester United) Blocked Pass at 2'

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Santiago Vergini (Sunderland) Throw In at 2'

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Kickoff

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Possession

45%

55%

Sunderland

Manchester United

Shots

11

10

Shots on target

3

3

Fouls

10

15

Corners

4

4

Yellow Cards

0

2

Red Cards

0

0

Sunderland

Sunderland

1 - 1

Man United

West Brom

2 - 2

Sunderland

Sunderland

1 - 3

Swansea

Sunderland

2 - 0

West Brom

Man United

0 - 1

Sunderland

Sunderland

4 - 0

Cardiff

Man United

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1 - 1

Man United

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1 - 2

Swansea

Southampton

1 - 1

Man United

Man United

3 - 1

Hull

Man United

0 - 1

Sunderland

Man United

4 - 0

Norwich

Head to Head

Sunderland

1 - 1

Man United

Man United

0 - 1

Sunderland

Man United

2 - 1

Sunderland

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2 - 1

Man United

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Man United

Sunderland

25Vito Mannone

27Santiago Vergini

16John O'Shea

5Wes Brown

3Patrick Van Aanholt

7Sebastian Larsson

8Jack Rodwell

-> Jordi Gómez

9Steven Fletcher

-> Jozy Altidore

10Connor Wickham

30William Buckley

-> Liam Bridcutt

6Lee Cattermole

Subs

29Valentin Roberge

18Charalampos Mavrias

2Billy Jones

1Costel Pantilimon

Man United

1David De Gea

4Phil Jones

42Tyler Blackett

25Antonio Valencia

8Juan Mata

18Ashley Young

23Tom Cleverley

12Chris Smalling

-> Michael Keane

20Robin van Persie

-> Danny Welbeck

24Darren Fletcher

-> Adnan Januzaj

10Wayne Rooney

Subs

41Reece James

26Shinji Kagawa

40Ben Amos

14Javier Hernández

Rodwell denies Van Gaal first win

Jack Rodwell's first Sunderland goal left Louis van Gaal still awaiting his first Premier League win as Manchester United collected their first point of the season.

The 10 million pound summer signing from Manchester City capitalised on woeful defending to head home Sebastian Larsson's corner on the half-hour, in the process cancelling out Juan Mata's opener.

But in truth, the Spaniard's 17th-minute strike had come against the run of play with the visitors once again misfiring alarmingly as they tried to come to terms with Van Gaal's 3-5-2 formation.

Even Robin van Persie's presence could not spark a marked improvement on a day when reports claimed Real Madrid striker Angel di Maria was heading for Old Trafford, and the Black Cats, roared on by a crowd of 43,217 at the Stadium of Light, gave as good as they got.

United lacked both invention and penetration as Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet looked to exploit their frailty at the back by asking Connor Wickham and Will Buckley to utilise the space behind Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, which they did to good effect.

Buoyed by Van Persie's return, United emerged looking for a significant improvement on their performance in last weekend's home defeat by Swansea.

However, what Van Gaal got was a display every bit as dysfunctional as the one which heralded the start of the new campaign.

His decision to field Young and Valencia as wing-backs once again exposed a fragile back three of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett which was further reduced in terms of experience when Smalling limped off before the break to be replaced by Michael Keane.

But it was not only at the back that the visitors struggled with Sunderland clearly carrying the momentum of last season's two victories over United, and skipper Wayne Rooney and strike-partner Van Persie saw little of the ball where it mattered most.

Nevertheless, it was United who took the lead, although they did so at a time when the breakthrough looked more likely to come at the other end.

Young had already put his defence under pressure with an aimless crossfield pass and Lee Cattermole unleashed two long-range efforts when winger Buckley, making his full debut for the Black Cats, cut inside Blackett and cross for Wickham, who wastefully scuffed his shot straight at keeper David de Gea.

Sunderland were made to pay within seconds as Valencia managed to ease past full-back Patrick van Aanholt and cross low to the far post, where Mata ran off the back of Larsson to score from close range.

The goal visibly settled United and they enjoyed a sustained period of possession as they threatened to take control.

However, they allowed their hosts back into the game on the half-hour when, after Buckley's direct play had earned his side a corner, Larsson delivered the resulting set-piece to the near post and Rodwell headed firmly home with Valencia having done little to impede his progress.

United's response was lukewarm, and there was little doubt that Poyet would have been the happier of the two managers as their respective teams left the pitch at the break.

Indeed, the home side might have taken the lead six minutes after the restart when Wickham was given time to work himself into a shooting position inside the box and Blackett somehow blocked his effort with De Gea beaten.

But Van Gaal's men gradually assumed control as they dominated possession, although with Sunderland defending deep, space was at a premium even with Rooney dropping ever deeper.

They almost found a way through with 62 minutes gone when Van Persie surged into the box only to be halted by Vergini's last-ditch challenge, and Young was booked for simulation after going over Wes Brown's leg as the pair close don the rebound.

Van Persie departed seconds later as he and Darren Fletcher were replaced by Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj, but Larsson failed to make the most of Wickham's fine 68th-minute through-ball as United lived dangerously once again.

Larsson passed up a good opportunity when he curled a free-kick well wide with 15 minutes remaining with Sunderland hunting all three points.

To that end, Poyet attempted to pile the pressure on the visitors' rearguard with the introduction of battering-ram frontman Jozy Altidore, although defensive confusion inside the Sunderland penalty area very nearly cost them on more than one occasion in a frenetic finish.

FEATURES

After enduring a tricky start to his Manchester United career, perhaps it is fair that Marcos Rojo celebrated so boisterously as he watched his first professional club Estudiantes beat fierce rivals Gimnasia